* '''Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland''', 700 Carnegie Ave, +1 800 954-8742, [http://www.tri-c.cc.oh.us]. "Tri-C" has three campuses (downtown, East Side and West Side suburbs). Don't miss its annual '''JazzFest'''.

* '''Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland''', 700 Carnegie Ave, +1 800 954-8742, [http://www.tri-c.cc.oh.us]. "Tri-C" has three campuses (downtown, East Side and West Side suburbs). Don't miss its annual '''JazzFest'''.

When driving at night in the city, stay in your car along major urban corridors (like Euclid, Chester and Carnegie Avenues heading east and Detroit and Lorain Avenues heading west). At night, you may want to avoid inner city neighborhoods and the City of East Cleveland in its entirety (in this case, including Euclid Ave).

+

When driving at night in the city, stay in your car along major urban corridors (like Euclid, Chester and Carnegie Avenues heading east and Detroit and Lorain Avenues heading west). At night, you may want to avoid inner city neighborhoods and the City of East Cleveland in its entirety (in this case, including Euclid Ave). Additionally, if visiting the city of Bratenahl [a wealthy enclave surrounded by Cleveland on three sides and Lake Erie on the fourth side] be sure not to make a wrong turn and venture down Eddy Road as Eddy Road is a very dangerous area and should be avoided at all times, day or night. It is rather common to see drug dealers openly selling drugs even in the middle of the day or in the early/late afternoon in Cleveland and East Cleveland [the road goes through both cities] along Eddy Road.

Revision as of 23:01, 11 July 2014

Cleveland is a huge city with several district articles containing sightseeing, restaurant, nightlife and accommodation listings — have a look at each of them.

Cleveland[1] is a culturally diverse city on the shores of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA. Recreational, cultural and educational opportunities are abundant throughout Northeast Ohio. You'll find world-class museums and cultural events, professional sports and amusement parks, and the most golf courses per capita in the United States. Places Rated Almanac ranks the area second in recreational options out of 354 US metro areas. Plus, this region ranks fifth in the nation in number of major cultural resources per one million residents.

Districts

The following are districts of the city of Cleveland. For the Cleveland Metropolitan area see Cuyahoga County.

DowntownThe downtown district includes the area at the heart of the city around the mouth of the Cuyahoga River along Lake Erie, which includes the East 4th neighborhood, Warehouse District, Playhouse Square, Flats, Gateway District, Casino, Aquarium, Terminal Tower, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, North Coast Harbor, and three professional sports arenas -- Quicken Loans Arena (Cavaliers), First Energy Stadium (Browns), and Progressive Field (Indians). Cleveland State University is situated on the eastern edge of Downtown.

East SideThe East Side is the portion of the city to the east of the river, including the city's world-class cultural and arts complex, and contains the following neighborhoods: University Circle, Buckeye-Shaker Square, Central, Collinwood, Corlett, Euclid-Green, Fairfax, Forest Hills, Glenville, Payne/Goodrich-Kirtland Park, Hough, Kinsman, Lee Harvard/Seville-Miles, Mount Pleasant, Nottingham, Slavic Village, St. Clair-Superior, Union-Miles Park, Little Italy, and Woodland Hills.

West SideThe West Side is the portion of the city to the west of the river, including the West Side market and the airport, and contains the following neighborhoods: Brooklyn Centre, Clark-Fulton, Detroit-Shoreway, Cudell, Edgewater, Ohio City, Old Brooklyn, Stockyards, Tremont, West Boulevard, and the four neighborhoods colloquially known as West Park: Kamm's Corners, Jefferson, Puritas-Longmead, and Riverside.

Understand

Cleveland is the urban center of Northeast Ohio, the 15th largest combined metropolitan area in the United States. Throughout the twentieth century, the City of Cleveland proper was ranked as one of the 10 largest cities in the U.S. (from 1890 until 1970 per US Census Bureau statistics). Like most U.S. cities, Cleveland proper began to lose population to suburban areas in the 1960s and 1970s. However, in the mid-1980s, Cleveland earned the nickname the "Comeback City" as the urban core experienced a dramatic revitalization process that continues today. As its "comeback" has continued, the official moniker is now the New American City as Cleveland has rightfully earned the reputation as a model of effective public-private partnership for urban planning.

Despite the common perception that Cleveland is an industrial town, just beyond the automotive and steel plants, a clean and beautiful downtown rises at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River on the southern shore of Lake Erie (often marvelled over by visitors who are surprised you can't see the other side, i.e., Canada). Like other cities in the so-called "rust belt", Cleveland has endured growing pains as it makes its transition from a manufacturing-based economy. While Cleveland continues to play a leading role in building the U.S. industrial base, it has also developed economic prowess in the fields of health care, law, finance, insurance, real estate development, and professional services.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Another thing non-locals don't often realize is that Cleveland's long history of industrial wealth has left it chock full of cultural riches as well as the beginnings of a "sustainable city" movement. Serving as a global model for urban rebirth, Cleveland has been named one of the top 10 international visitor hotspots by Travel and Leisure magazine. For decades, the city has boasted of:

four new sports facilities in the downtown area - Progressive Field (Still known as "The Jake" after a recent corporate name change) for the Major League Baseball Indians, QuickenLoans Arena ("The Q") for the NBA Cavaliers, First Energy Stadium (Recent name change from Cleveland Browns Stadium) for the NFL Browns and the Wolstein Center for the Cleveland State University Vikings basketball team.

July, on average, is the warmest month with a mean temperature of 71.9 °F (22.2 °C); however, Cleveland summers often experience temperatures in the high 80's to low 90's °F with relatively high humidity.

January, on average, is the coldest month with a mean temperature of 25.7 °F (−3.5 °C). Cleveland winters are cold, but the city usually experiences just a handful of heavy snowfalls, but does have the occasional windchill factor below 0 °F. Also, Cleveland has what is called Lake Effect snow from mid-November until the surface of Lake Erie freezes, typically by early February. This is snowfall due to Cleveland's position on the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the point where the shoreline shifts from an east-west direction to a northeast-southwest orientation. The city (primarily the East Side) experiences this Lake Effect snow. Cleveland's Snow Belt, which receives substantially more snowfall than the West Side, begins on the East Side of the city (spreading southward from the Lake for up to 10 miles in Greater Cleveland) and stretches northeast along the I-90 corridor past Buffalo, New York as far as Syracuse.

Due to its proximity to Lake Erie, autumn in Cleveland has some enjoyable weather of the year. Some years, high-60-degree weather can be enjoyed through Halloween, without the humidity of the summer months.

Read

Showplace of America: Cleveland's Euclid Avenue - once considered among the most beautiful and wealthy corridors in the world, read about the tightly knit community where Corporate America was born (including the likes of John D. Rockefeller).

The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History - the rich history of Cleveland includes the story of the industrial revolution, the roots of a vibrant arts and cultural mecca, and description of the proto-typical 'melting pot' of America. This is a thick book, but answers just about any question that arises - perhaps plan a stop at a Cleveland or Cuyahoga County Public Library.

Get in

By plane

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), [10]. Ohio's largest and Cleveland's main airport (IATA: CLE, ICAO: KCLE) is located on the west side of the city and is served by most of the major domestic airlines. The RTA Red Line Rapid Transit (see, below) provides frequent and fast rail service from inside the airport to the heart of downtown in roughly 22 minutes for $2.25.

Burke Lakefront Airport. A small airport right on the shore of Lake Erie that handles private jet, business, and general aviation traffic. A short distance down E 9th St from downtown.

Akron-Canton Regional Airport, (IATA: CAK). Visitors could also use this airport which is served by regional airline affiliates and is a 45-minute drive from Cleveland.

By car

Four two-digit interstate highways serve Cleveland:

Interstate 71 runs primarily west before heading due south into the suburbs, and most directly connects downtown to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (via Ohio 237), the lower west suburbs (via I-480), the southwest suburbs, and eventually the state capital of Columbus. The curved section of I-71 that runs between W 25th Street and I-90/490 is referred to as the Metro Curve, due to its proximity to MetroHealth Medical Center.

Interstate 77, shown on maps as the Willow Freeway is Cleveland's oldest freeway, and heads due south from the Innerbelt along the east side of the Cuyahoga Valley and most directly connects downtown to the south suburbs, southeast suburbs (via I-480), Ohio Turnpike (I-80), and the city of Akron. The stack interchange at I-480 is sometimes referred to as The Cloverleaf, although the actual cloverleaf is located at the junction of Brecksville Road and Granger Road, which is just west of the later extension of the Willow Freeway.

Interstate 80/Ohio Turnpike is a toll road that connects the Greater Cleveland with Toledo to the west, and Youngstown and Pittsburgh to the east. Access to the city and its suburbs is from I-90, I-480 Eastbound, I-71, I-77, Ohio 8, and I-480 Westbound.

Interstate 90 connects the two sides (the terms "East Side" and "West Side" have deep root in defining this region) of Cleveland, and is the northern terminus for both I-71 and I-77. I-90 separates from the Ohio Turnpike just west of Elyria and joins with Ohio 2 until Ohio 2 separates at Detroit Road in the west side suburb of Rocky River. I-90 then proceeds to I-71, I-490, and the Jennings Freeway (Ohio 176) in the Tremont neighborhood, and over the Innerbelt Bridge into downtown; from this confluence of freeways, I-90 is known as The Innerbelt, until it again merges with Ohio 2 at Dead Man's Curve and becomes the East Shoreway. I-90 once and for all splits from Ohio 2 near the Cuyahoga-Lake County line at the Euclid Spur, which connects to the northern terminus of I-271 and then parallels the lakeshore to Erie, PA.

Several other freeways also serve the city:

Interstate 271 runs primarily north and south through the city's east suburbs, forming The Outerbelt East, which connects to I-90 at the end of the Euclid Spur in Lake County and I-71 just north of Medina. I-480 briefly follows I-271, and Ohio 8 connects I-271 to Akron in the south.

Interstate 480 runs east-west along the southern edge of the City of Cleveland, forming The Outerbelt South. It is a loop route into the city that both begins and ends at the Ohio Turnpike (I-80). I-480 is also the primary route to access Hopkins Airport from the east suburbs.

Interstate 490 connects I-71, I-90, and the Jennings Freeway (Ohio 176) on the near west side to I-77 on the near east side just south far enough to bypass much of downtown traffic.

The West Shoreway, which is also Ohio 2, follows the lakeshore across downtown west from I-90 past the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Edgewater Park to just short of the west side suburb of Lakewood.

The Jennings Freeway (part of Ohio 176) connects I-90/490 to I-480 on the west side of the Cuyahoga Valley. It serves as an effective alternate route to I-71 and I-77 from I-480 to downtown.

The Berea Freeway (part of Ohio 237) connects I-71 and I-480 to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the southwest suburb of Berea.

Ohio 2 connects far east lakeshore suburbs in Lake County to I-90 and I-271 (via the Euclid Spur).

Ohio 10/US 20 connects Oberlin in southern Lorain County to I-480 at its western terminus at the Ohio Turnpike.

US 422 becomes a freeway at I-271/I-480 and connects to the far southeast suburbs and Warren farther to the east.

By train

Amtrak, 200 Cleveland Memorial Shoreway, [11]. Ticketing and station hours: Daily: 9:30PM-1PM. The station is closed 1PM-9:30PM. Cleveland is served by Amtrak with a station located on the north end of downtown (near Cleveland Browns Stadium). Unfortunately, most Amtrak routes serving Cleveland arrive and depart in the wee hours of the morning (1AM-4AM time frame). Amtrak's Capitol Limited (from Washington, D.C. or Chicago) and Lake Shore Limited (from New York, Boston or Chicago) lines stop in Cleveland.

By boat

Many boaters utilize the Great Lakes, St. Lawrence Seaway and their connection points as a travel route. There are many marinas and public boat ramps available for this purpose. Also, the American Canadian Caribbean Line[14] and the Great Lakes Cruising Company[15] provide cruises that include Cleveland on the itineria.

Get around

By car

Cleveland might be one of the easiest cities in the world to navigate. There are almost no one-way streets, because the city was planned to have "European Avenues" (which resulted in the foresight to make them broad enough for vehicular transportation that couldn't have been imagined in the late 1700s). Traffic is generally not a problem relative to other major U.S. metro areas. Throughout the downtown area, purple signs direct visitors to let you know where you are and what district you are in. The streets that run north-south are numbered, except for Ontario Street (the north-south street bisecting Public Square). Numbered Streets are named as "West", west of Ontario and "East", east of Ontario. (Broadview Road becomes the primary geographic boundary between 'East' and 'West' addresses to the south of the city.) The major east-west streets are generally named as "Avenues".

Finding an address is simple as well. Numbers on north-south streets increase as you head south from Lake Erie, numbers on east-west streets increase as you head away from downtown and coincide with the numbered streets (i.e. 6500 Detroit Ave is located at the corner of Detroit Ave and W 65th St). Odd addresses on north-south streets are for buildings on the east side of the street, and even addresses are on the west side; on the west side of Cleveland, odd addresses on east-west streets are located on the south side of the street, while even addresses are on the north side--the reverse is true for east-west streets on the east side of Cleveland. This addressing scheme continues into most of the suburbs (some exceptions include Berea and Bedford) and even most cities and townships in Lake and Lorain Counties.

Most of the city is laid out in grids and has very clear signage enabling you to easily know where you are. Throughout the area, signs are thoroughly placed to indicate the route to the nearest major freeway, making the city extremely visitor-friendly!

Map of Downtown Cleveland and University Circle

Cleveland rush hours (7AM-9AM; 4PM-6:30PM in the afternoon) are light compared to many metropolitan areas, with traffic still moving near posted speed limits throughout most of the area. Some places notorious for slow or stop and go traffic are:

Morning:

I-71 Northbound from W 25th St into Downtown and from Bagley Rd to I-480

I-77 Northbound from I-490 into Downtown and from Pleasant Valley Rd to I-480

I-90 Eastbound from W 44th St into Downtown

I-90 Westbound from E 55th St into Downtown

I-271 Northbound from Rt. 8 to I-480

I-480 Eastbound from the Jennings Freeway (Ohio 176) to I-77 and approaching I-271

Jennings Freeway (Ohio 176) from I-480 to I-90/490

Afternoon:

I-71 Southbound from I-480/Ohio 237 to Bagley Rd

I-77 Southbound from downtown to I-490 and from I-480 to Pleasant Valley Rd

I-90 Westbound from E 55th St to the Innerbelt Bridge

I-90 Eastbound from downtown to Dead Man's Curve

I-271 Southbound from Chagrin Blvd to Broadway Ave./Forbes Rd.

I-480 Westbound from W 130th St to I-71/Ohio 237

Road construction can impact travel times at rush hours, and usually occurs only from March to November. Any point in Cuyahoga County is normally reachable from any other point in the county by car in 45 minutes or less at non-peak driving hours.

By public transit

Greater Cleveland is also served by a public bus and rail transit system, operated by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority[16], also known as "RTA". The rail portion is officially called the Cleveland Rapid Transit, but is known by locals as "The Rapid". It consists of two light rail lines, known as the Green and Blue Lines (which extend to the east side suburbs), and a heavy rail line, the Red Line (which connects Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the west side suburbs with Tower City Center downtown and continues to University Circle and beyond). In the late 1990s, RTA added the Waterfont Line, a short track specifically catering to tourists by connecting Tower City Center to the Flats Entertainment District, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Burke Lakefront Airport. In 2008, RTA installed a bus rapid transit line, called the "Health Line", which runs along Euclid Avenue, providing a direct route between Cleveland's primary tourist attractions from downtown to University Circle. A $5.00 All-Day Pass is good for unlimited rides on both the trains and the buses.

By bicycle

Greater Cleveland is expanding its bicycle trails and bicycle paths throughout the city. In addition, the city has numerous bicycle shops, mostly located on the near west side, and a bicycle co-op.[17] For more information on biking in cleveland, visit the website of Bike Cleveland.[18]

See

Cleveland is a huge city, so all individual listings should be moved to the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. Please help to move listings if you are familiar with this city.

Architecture and Infrastructure

Old Arcade

Terminal Tower, the centerpoint of Tower City Center, located on Public Square, is the Terminal Tower, built in 1929 as the second tallest building in the world (now it's the second tallest building in Cleveland). The building was also constructed as the main railroad terminal in Cleveland and currently serves as the main hub of the RTA Rapid Lines (below the retail mall levels). Go to the Terminal Tower's observation deck to observe the surrounding environs (particularly, Lake Erie, the winding Cuyahoga River, and the juxtaposition of downtown against industrial uses to the south and west). The observation deck is only open on weekends.

Old Arcade, [19]. Built in 1890 and designed by John Eisenmann. The construction was financed by John D. Rockefeller, Marcus Hanna and several other wealthy Clevelanders of the day. The cost of the project was approximately $875,000 - today it would be impossible to replicate. The inspiration of the project is said to be the Vittorio Emanuele in Milan, Italy. Although pedestrian arcades exist in several North American cities, few - if any, compare to the grandeur of the Arcade in Cleveland. The Arcade was the first building in Cleveland to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The structure features a five-story atrium with extensive metal decorative work. The top floor features gargoyles which circle the entire atrium area. The structure includes the famous skylighted atrium as well as two nine-story towers, one each on Euclid Ave and Superior Ave. In the past decade, the structure was renovated as a Hyatt Regency Hotel.

City of Bridges, particularly view the Hope Memorial Bridge (Lorain-Carnegie Bridge) named for Bob Hope's (the famous actor/comedian and native Clevelander) father, who worked on its construction. The bridge is framed by four art deco pylon sculptures portraying the evolution of forms of ground transportation. In addition to a large number of jack-knife and lift bridges along the Cuyahoga, one of the world's few remaining "Swing Bridges" is still in use, connecting the east and west banks of the Flats entertainment district.

Key Tower, the tallest building in Ohio, and between New York City and Chicago for that matter, designed by Cesar Pelli.It has 57 stories.

Peter B. Lewis Building, Case-Weatherhead School of Business, designed by Frank Gehry with his trademark undulating metal forms.

Cleveland Churches, particularly visit the Tremont district (where the movie, The Deer Hunter, was filmed) and the Church Square district along Euclid Avenue between downtown and University Circle (where you can see a broad sampling of houses of prayer, many of which are currently utilized by their second or third generations of faith). There are also several monumental churches in near east side suburbs of Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights along Cedar Rd, Fairmount and Shaker Boulevards.

Art

Cleveland was named a Top 25 Arts Destination by www.americanstyle.com in 2003. In addition to its museums of art, the city boasts a vibrant art community with galleries scattered throughout its trendiest neighborhoods.

Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 E Blvd, +1 216 421-7350, [20]. A free art museum offering exhibits of everything from a world-renowned Asian collection, Greek and Roman statue to modern art. The crown jewels of the museum, however, are its stunning collections of medieval armor and an original casting of Auguste Rodin's The Thinker. Closed M; Tu, Th, Sa-Su 10AM-5PM; W, F 10AM-9PM.

Cleveland Public Art - Headquarted in Ohio City, this non-profit organization sponsors art projects throughout the city, including the spires and vegetable wall near Progressive Field, the murals on Tremont School, and the Wade Oval gate at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.

Free Stamp - This controversial piece of Pop Art, located in Willard Park to the East of City Hall, was commissioned in 1982 and designed by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.

Other Areas of Interest

Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage[23], an inspirational experience for any American who is one or has descended from immigrant(s). The museum is divided into three sections: the permanent exhibits which focus on Cleveland's Jewish community, its history, and its contributions; a portion of the Temple Tifereth-Israel Judaic art collection; and the temporary exhibits, currently home to the "Cradles of Christianity" exhibit.

West Side Market, [24] northeast corner of Lorain Ave (western node of the Hope Memorial (Lorain-Carnegie) Bridge) and W 25th St. An old world produce market directly across the Cuyahoga River from Cleveland's skyscrapers, along with an arcade area containing shops with food of Irish, German, Slovenians, Italian, Greek, Polish, Russian, and Middle Eastern descents, among others.

A Christmas Story House

Coventry Road, [25] a funky commercial strip serving University Circle's student population. Home to Mac's Paperbacks, an independent bookstore; Tommy's [26], well-known for its vegetarian food and milkshakes; The Grog Shop [27], a bar and music venue known for its diversity of show styles; and various other locally owned restaurants, bars, and boutiques.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, [28] downtown next to the science center on the shore of Lake Erie.

A Christmas Story House, [29] This is the actual house used in the 1983 modern-day classic film A Christmas Story. It has since been converted into a museum dedicated to the film - most visitors come during Christmas season.

Parks

Do

Cleveland is a huge city, so all individual listings should be moved to the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. Please help to move listings if you are familiar with this city.

Sports

Enjoy a game with the world's best sports fans. Cleveland is home to the second longest span of sold out baseball games (5 consecutive seasons in the late 1990s), the largest American League baseball attendance (72,086 on 8/9/1981) and the birthplace of Monday Night Football (9/21/1970). But given its storied sports past coupled with its weathered but dedicated fan base (ESPN named Cleveland the "Most Tortured Sports City"), terms like The Drive, The Fumble, The Shot, The Decision, 2 More Outs will ring in the ears of Cleveland Sports Fans for generations to come. Win or lose, Clevelanders (obviously) just love sports.

Progressive Field - Home of the Cleveland Indians

Cleveland Browns football (Cleveland Browns Stadium), 100 Alfred Lerner Way (downtown on the shores of Lake Erie, north of Lakeside Ave, between W 3rd St and E 9th St), (tsales@clevelandbrowns.com), [41]. (Sep-Jan). The old Browns went to the birds, but the Dawg Pound carries on the tradition of the NFL's staunchest fans!

Cleveland State University, Wolstein Center 2000 Prospect Ave, [46]. Member of the Horizon League with various sports throughout the year.

Sporting Events

Cleveland Marathon[47] long-distance runners gather from around the globe each spring to Rock 'n Run downtown.

MAC Basketball Championships[48] the Mid-American Conference of NCAA Division I college basketball holds its annual championship in early March at "the Q" (Quicken Loans Arena) to determine a March Madness tournament seed.

Greater Cleveland Sports Commission[49], every year Cleveland hosts major national and international sports events.

Outdoors

Cleveland Harbor/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

No "mistake" about it! - Lake Erie. The shallowest and warmest Great Lake (with the most vibrant fishery) defines Cleveland's northern border and provides many opportunities for boating, fishing, swimming and walks. Sailers, boaters, waverunners and jet skiers enjoy the lake with marinas, piers and boat launches available all along America's North Coast. Fishing is popular more than three seasons of the year with healthy populations of Walleye and Perch in Lake Erie. In the late fall and early winter, anglers pursue steelhead trout in the many rivers feeding Lake Erie up through Northeast Ohio and into Pennsylvania and Western New York.

Historically nicknamed the "Forest City" (due to a famous description of a highly sophisticated society amid a heavily forested environment in Alexis DeTocqueville's "Democracy in America" (1831)), Cleveland is a great place for outdoor activities. USA Today ranked Cleveland among the 10 best big cities for hiking. If you think Cleveland is just a "rust belt" city, get out to the nearest Cleveland Metropark[50]. The parks form an Emerald Necklace around the Cleveland metropolitan area, so no matter which direction you go from downtown, you're headed toward a park. Biking, horseback riding, jogging and rollerblading are easily accommodated by the miles of trails (paved and unpaved) encircling Cuyahoga County. In the winter, visitors can cross country ski these same trails. Sitting upon the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, Cleveland also provides downhill skiers with slopes throughout the area.

Cuyahoga River

A river winds through it. Boaters, rowing crews, canoers and kayakers enjoy the diverse scenery along the Cuyahoga (a Mohawk Native American term, meaning "Crooked River"). The Cuyahoga provides a mosaic of the nightspots of the Flats (dockage available at restaurants and bars), downtown's towers rising up the hill, active industrial remnants of the birthplace of the petroleum and steel industries, pastoral settings and the Ohio and Erie Canal (which in the 1800s provided the connection between the Great Lakes and the Ohio River, ultimately enabling shipping from the Atlantic Ocean (via the St. Lawrence Seaway and the East Coast) to the Gulf of Mexico (via the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers)). The Ohio & Erie Canal has been preserved as a core element of Cuyahoga Valley National Park. In Ohio's only National Park, walk or bike the Canal Towpath, [51]. The National Park starts 8 miles south of downtown and stretches for miles down to Akron. The Towpath extends from Lake Erie in Downtown Cleveland through the southern suburbs past Akron, Canton, New Philadelphia and into rural Bolivar and Historic Zoar.

Not amused by nature? If you prefer to step up the pace, Northeast Ohio offers world-class amusement parks including Cedar Point (1 hour drive west to Sandusky) and Memphis Kiddie Park (in Brooklyn, Ohio), a small but fun park for the little ones (toddlers to pre-teens).

Learn

Cleveland State University, 2121 Euclid Ave, +1 216 687-2000, [67]. Cleveland's large state school is nestled next to the Theater District (Playhouse Square) and is a cornerstone of the St. Vincent Quadrangle District. The Levin College of Urban Affairs is ranked in the Top 10 in the US. Over the past century, CSU's law school, Cleveland-Marshall College of Law[68], has educated many of the region's renowned judicial and political figures.

Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, 700 Carnegie Ave, +1 800 954-8742, [69]. "Tri-C" has three campuses (downtown, East Side and West Side suburbs). Don't miss its annual JazzFest.

Cleveland Institute of Art, [72]. Visit its galleries and catch an art film at the Cinematheque.

Cleveland Institute of Music, [73]. A leading international conservatory for classical music.

Work

Cleveland Clinic

Five major industries have evolved to become the economic strength of the region: Health & Medicine, Science & Engineering, Biotechnology & Biomedical, Manufacturing and Education. In addition to 12 Fortune 1000 headquarters, more than 150 international companies have a presence here. Site Selection magazine ranked Ohio as first in the U.S. with the most corporate facility projects and expansions in 2007.

Of particular note, the Cleveland Clinic Health System is a world-renowned treatment center that has treated dignitaries from all over the world, most notably King Fahd of Saudi Arabia

Also of note is Quicken Loans and their Cleveland Web Center. This medium size company founded by Dan Gilbert (also owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers) boasts being the fourth largest Veteran Lender in the nation as well as the tenth best place to work for in the entire nation rated by Fortune. Quicken Loans has been listed many times as one of the best places to work at years before as well.

Buy

Cleveland is a huge city, so all individual listings should be moved to the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. Please help to move listings if you are familiar with this city.

Downtown Cleveland is home to Tower City Center, a large urban complex, a retail mall, hotels and the Terminal Tower. Shops range from high-end to standard mall franchises. The food court has great views of the river. Tower City is connected by walkway to the Tower City Amphitheater, the Quicken Loans Arena and Progressive Field, and the federal courthouse. Rapid Transit lines head west to the airport as well as through University Circle and suburbs to the east.

The Galleria at Erieview is another complex downtown that includes a popular lunchtime foodcourt. It has recently been hosting art galleries and art events.

Shaker Square is an historic shopping center built in 1929 and connected to downtown and the eastern suburbs by two Rapid Transit lines. The Square includes some interesting shops and restaurants and serves as the center of a diverse, lively neighborhood.

Shoppers have been flocking to Northeast Ohio since the development of several lifestyle centers have attracted upscale retailers. On the East Side, Legacy Village (in Lyndhurst) has been added to Cleveland's fashion district along Cedar Road (which includes Beachwood Place and La Place in Beachwood). Nearby, Eton Collection (on Chagrin Boulevard in Woodmere) provides even more upscale options for shopping and dining. On the West Side, Crocker Park (in Westlake) provides a mixed-use "new town" environment with upscale shopping.

Cleveland's active art community has galleries throughout the area with larger concentrations in Tremont, Ohio City (just across the Cuyahoga River from downtown), and Little Italy. Unique boutiques abound in the inner ring suburbs of Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights and Lakewood. New England charm and "mom-and-pop" shops can be found along the public squares of Western Reserve towns (settled as the Connecticut [[74] Western Reserve), including Chagrin Falls, Hudson, Olmsted Falls, Willoughby, Medina, Chardon and Painesville.

Groceries and other basics

The major supermarket chains in the Cleveland area are Giant Eagle, Dave's, Heinen's, Aldi, Whole Foods Market, and Trader Joe's. In addition the nation's two largest discount store chains Walmart and Target each have a store in Cleveland as well. The CVS and Walgreens drug store chains are also ubiquitous throughout Cleveland with many locations open twenty four hours a day.

Eat

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W. 6th Street in the Historic Warehouse District

Cleveland is host to a wide variety of restaurants and is culinarily much more diverse than an outsider might suspect in the Midwest drawing on large enclaves of ethnic neighborhoods and immigration (Ohio City, Slavic Village, Parma, Hough, Little Italy, Chinatown and others). Certainly, Eastern European food and Soul food are big in a city where Hungarians, Slavs, Poles, Czechs, Bohemians and Southern African Americans were drawn to the steel and automotive industries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries; however, recent emigres have spiced up the mix, adding many more influences including Indian, Chinese, Southeast Asian, Puerto Rican and Central American, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean.

In the mid-1990s Cleveland was in step with the resurgence of the restaurant industry, and has many restaurants on-par with their larger-city counterparts, many of which are located in the Historic Warehouse District, the Flats, Ohio City, Tremont, the Gateway Neighborhood and along the Restaurant Row in the East Side suburbs. In fact, the area boasts of 6 AAA Four Diamond restaurants, the most between New York and Chicago.

Drink

Cleveland is a huge city, so all individual listings should be moved to the appropriate district articles, and this section should contain a brief overview. Please help to move listings if you are familiar with this city.

Sleep

Hotels are mostly located downtown, with a few additional East Side options around University Circle, and some properties near the airport on the far West Side. The only hostel in the city is in Ohio City on the West Side. Neighboring suburbs also provide numerous lodging choices.

Glidden House Hotel, 1901 Ford Drive (On the campus of Case Western Reserve University), ☎216 231-8900, [105]. The Glidden House Hotel with its Case Reserve University location places guests in the center of downtown and campus activities and attractions. Reserve one of Cleveland's finest hotels online today.

Contact

Wireless connectivity

Intel named Cleveland as one of its four "Worldwide Digital Communities" (with Corpus Christi, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Taipei, Taiwan). Due to substantial capital investment in support of this distinction, Cleveland will eventually have free wifi access throughout the entire city. In the meantime, most coffee shops offer wireless internet connection as do the campuses of Cleveland State University and Case Western Reserve. The Tower City Center in the downtown area is another spot with free wifi access.

Phone

Greater Cleveland, including all of Cuyahoga County, is served by AT&T. Several other local telephone companies have networks in different portions of the county, and most cable companies also offer phone service through their networks.

Area code 216 serves the City of Cleveland and the inner ring suburbs.

Area code 440 serves the balance of the suburbs along with Ashtabula, Geauga, Lake, and Lorain Counties.

Area code 234 and 330 together serve the rest of Northeast Ohio, including Medina, Portage, Summit, and Stark Counties to the south.

All calling within Cuyahoga County (which includes all of the 216 area code) is toll-free, and includes toll-free calling into and from western Lake County, Chesterland in Geauga County, Columbia Township in Lorain County, and the communities abutting Cuyahoga County in Medina, and Summit Counties.

Area code 216 callers in the City of Cleveland can call toll-free into other communities in Lorain County, such as Elyria and North Ridgeville, while the remaining callers in Cuyahoga County can call certain areas at a reduced rate. Some phone companies provide the extended calling area toll-free as an added benefit to compete with AT&T.

Stay safe

When driving at night in the city, stay in your car along major urban corridors (like Euclid, Chester and Carnegie Avenues heading east and Detroit and Lorain Avenues heading west). At night, you may want to avoid inner city neighborhoods and the City of East Cleveland in its entirety (in this case, including Euclid Ave). Additionally, if visiting the city of Bratenahl [a wealthy enclave surrounded by Cleveland on three sides and Lake Erie on the fourth side] be sure not to make a wrong turn and venture down Eddy Road as Eddy Road is a very dangerous area and should be avoided at all times, day or night. It is rather common to see drug dealers openly selling drugs even in the middle of the day or in the early/late afternoon in Cleveland and East Cleveland [the road goes through both cities] along Eddy Road.

East Side Driving Tip
Many of the city's so-called "rough" neighborhoods are on the east side. However, tourists in general wouldn't have any reason to visit these neighborhoods. University Circle on the east side, where all the city's main cultural instituations is safe, however. Eastern inner-ring suburbs such as Cleveland Heights, University Heights, Beachwood and Shaker Heights are all very safe.

A good rule of thumb is - once an East Side suburban "Road" becomes an Inner City "Avenue", turn around and get directions to Euclid, Chester or Carnegie Avenues. Example: Cedar Road in the East Side Suburbs (where it becomes the "Fashion District") is a really nice corridor, but once it becomes Cedar Avenue in the City of Cleveland proper, you should pick one of the above mentioned roads that run parallel to its north. Similarly, Chagrin Boulevard (which connects the upscale communities of Shaker Heights, Beachwood (including Cleveland's "Restaurant Row" and the bulk of the East Side office market), Pepper Pike, Orange Village, Moreland Hills, Hunting Valley and Chagrin Falls) turns into Kinsman Road (an "underground pharmaceutical" neighborhood) once crossing into the City of Cleveland proper.

West Side Driving Tip
Again, staying on Lorain and Detroit Avenues, I-90, I-71 or the Shoreway (State 2) is your safest bet. However, driving West 25th (which becomes Pearl), State and Ridge isn't all that terrifying. On the near West Side, avoid the Public Housing Projects that abut the vibrant neighborhoods of the Flats, Ohio City and Tremont.

Get out

Thornburg Station in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Located south of Cleveland, this park follows the course of the Cuyahoga River and the historic Ohio & Erie Canal between Cleveland and Akron. A number of older buildings are preserved here. The Cuyahoga Scenic Railroad, with train cars from the 1940s and 1950s also runs through the park. Pick up the train in Valley View near Thornburg Station[122] (8111 Rockside Rd), a mixed-use retail, restaurant and office complex sitting between the river and canal.

North Coast Beaches. Along the southern shore of Lake Erie are a large number of public beaches. The largest natural sand beach in Ohio, Headlands Beach State Park[123], is located east of Cleveland, in Mentor. Cleveland Lakefront State Park [124] also includes a large beach at its Edgewater Park, just west of downtown Cleveland. Many other beaches are available throughout Northeast Ohio, including Huntington Beach, Euclid Beach and Fairport Harbor.

Lake Erie Islands. Located west of Cleveland, a group of picturesque and festive islands in Lake Erie are accessible via ferry. In addition to several Ohio State Parks [125] located on the islands, there is plenty to do including wineries, restaurants, bars, marinas and beaches.

Lake Erie Tour Route and Lighthouses. Go back to the mainland and see the shoreline. The drive (or boat ride) around Lake Erie takes you through the Working Waterfronts around Buffalo NY, Cleveland OH, Detroit MI, Erie PA, Toledo, OH, and southern Ontario and is intermingled with beautiful preservations of flora and fauna as well as the history of North America's first westward expansion, the Old Northwest Territory.

Hall of Fame Cycle. Tourists can plan visits to the Rock Hall, Inventure Place [126] (the National Inventors Hall of Fame in Akron) and the Pro Football Hall of Fame[127] (in Canton).

Sandusky. Sandusky is home to Cedar Point, the world's largest amusement park, and Kalahari Resorts, a massive water park. Also home to Ghostly Manor, a top rated year-round haunted house, a Carousel Museum, and a historic downtown.

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!